Epilogue
by Silent Searcher
Summary: Kira is dead; many have fallen in the conflict. Left behind, Near sits and remembers those who fought and fell. Objects could never suffice in displaying the light and life of the ghosts they represent.


**Author's Note: Hey, Guys. This is a little dabble that was inspired by a picture I found while surfing google for Death Note pictures. I don't know where it came from and can't seem to find it again but it exists. xD Anyway, this revolves around Near - sort of - and is rather existential but I like it. It's been finished for a while and has just sort of sat there waiting to be posted but my lack of Wifi stopped me. Hope you enjoy it.**

 **Disclaimer: I am L. Only kidding, I'm not. I don't own Death Note.**

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Wammy's House: a haven for intellectually superior orphans and youths. Every resident of the house has the capacity and intelligence to change the world. Similarly, every resident is cursed because of those abilities.

L was the original Wammy protégée: the smartest and most capable of all. Case after case, L never lost. His unorthodox methods and unwavering conviction saw him to victory even against those akin to himself. However even the best must fall. Kira bested L, and with his death the baton was passed on.

Mello was strikingly alike L: his conviction and emotions allowed him to pick out the motives of any he encountered. Emotions ruled his actions; believing rather than inferring. This made him rash and often unprepared, though he always thought or fought his way out of a situation. Almost always - though confidence in his abilities was well founded, he too met his end in Kira. First however, he provided the evidence and opportunity needed to apprehend the monster.

Matt: the third smartest child of Wammy in its second generation. Perhaps not as methodical or as cunning as his peers and predecessor, but his ability to view a situation as a whole rather than from a biased viewpoint made him a viable asset on an investigation. His modern abilities and street-wise attributes made him the best at field work. A smattering of bullets forged his coffin. Helping his friend, colleague in the name of justice led to his untimely demise.

That left only Near; he was every bit as intelligent as the others - more intuitive than his peers – more alike to L than the others. His skills were undeniable. His means were, at times cruel or considered harsh but he got results in the end which was the ultimate goal.

Twirling a strand of hair, the young boy considered the hand he had been dealt. He had only ever known Wammy's House, only ever known logic and deduction – crime and justice. Loss was a common aspect of his profession so he did not mourn those gone. No; he admired them. L, Mello, Matt: they all strived for justice, for peace, for what was right. They gave it their all till the very end. Near had once said that if you didn't win the game then you were a loser; he still believed that but no longer did he see losing as a terrible thing. Unappealing: yes. But it was not wrong, for L had lost. Mello had lost. Matt had lost. And yet at the same time, they had all won. The goal they had all strived for had been achieved. Their fights had touched many more lives than their victory could have.

The pale boy placed three things on the ground before him: a strawberry, a chocolate bar and a Gameboy. Each so different yet all serving the same purpose: release. Food was the output selected by L and Mello; sugar temporarily reducing the bitter taste caused by the knowledge of death. Video games had taken Matt to another world, a different set of circumstances.

Placing his own method of retreat into the fray, he sat back. With the addition of the toy train, the collection looked all the more random. To Near however, it was complete; everyone who had come from Wammy's House and onto the Kira case was present. Unified they had stood, together they fought and as a whole they had won.

Alone, no one had the capacity to change the world. Only by working together, by striving together for what is right, could progress truly be made.

Pale eyelids shut softly as memories over took the boy – in his relatively short life he had come to know and understand more about the world than many do in a lifetime. He had seen the fall of Kings - the rise of Gods - the union of yin and yang. His only annoyance was that, yet again he had been left behind. Those closest to him had stridden forward, forging the path into the next world. Meanwhile, Near remained to ponder the vacant seats, he stayed in the mortal realm thinking that strawberries and chocolate and game boys and toys, really didn't say anything about what had been.

The strawberry did not preach L's methodical reasoning and attention to detail nor did it illustrate the peculiar quirks that made him who he was. Chocolate did not scream the extravagance that Mello's wardrobe once had nor did it convey his respect for human life. The Gameboy did in no way echo Matt's loyalty to his friends and cause, nor did it emit his technical prowess. The train did not carry Near's monotonous words of reasoning and premature wisdom, nor did it transport him any closer to the meaning he yearned for.

He chuckled grimly to himself: what made him think such morbid, pointless thoughts? Why was he being sentimental all of a sudden? Mello was almost certainly to blame; his emotions must have been contagious.

Near hadn't been close to any of those he was thinking of, yet he still felt a little hollow at the loss of them. Not because he was sad or because he was mourning them but because he missed them. He missed trying to live up to L, trying to prove himself worthy of succeeding him. He missed sparring with Mello over who was best, every rebuttal and rebuke having been fun to him. He missed watching Matt smoke, the fumes being foreign and dangerous and only ever signifying Matt. He missed the sense of belonging he felt when thinking of them.

But they were gone. Kira had seen to that.

Sighing, Near's thoughts turned to the self-proclaimed 'God of the New World' – the second L – Light Yagami. He too was gone and Near felt the same feelings of withdrawal as he did with his comrades. Light had been a worthy opponent, for himself and L before him. His sense of justice was strong whilst his methods were severe if not a little off kilter. He couldn't claim to hold any fondness for the teen; his feeling of loss sourcing from the longing for a challenge and worthy rival. Though, Near was certain that L had felt conflicted emotions concerning the teen: the detective had surely been certain that Yagami was Kira, thus he had been analytical and defensive; however Light was so similar to L in his logical mind and intellectual superiority that L had felt he could relate to the other. Near was certain they had been somewhat dysfunctional friends – even if Light would never have admitted it.

A slight smirk grew on Near's face as realisation emerged: L and Light were more than a little similar to Mello and himself.

"Near, we have word of a new case that might interest you."

"Thank you, Halle. I shall be with you in a moment."

Glancing one final time at the objects that represented his non-existent, disclosed, collapsed family, he smiled. He left the room shortly after, heading to his next case. He would fight on, protecting the legacy, the dream, the justice they had fought to maintain. They hadn't loved their lives so much as to shrink from death; instead they faced it openly as if it was nothing but a minor set-back. Inspired in their footsteps, Near marched ahead, ready to forge a path through the gift of life bestowed upon him by his kin. He would fight, for those alive and those deceased, until the final breath left his lungs.

Don't be shocked that people die, be surprised that you're still alive.


End file.
